Flyers’ Tortorella on if Couturier will play against Hurricanes: ‘I’m not talking about Sean’

Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella has never been afraid to speak his mind.

The latest? His thoughts on captain Sean Couturier, who he made a healthy scratch ahead of an important game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

After the game, Tortorella dismissed any questions regarding why Couturier wasn’t dressed. And on Thursday, ahead of the team’s fight with the Carolina Hurricanes, he stayed the course.

“I’m not talking about Sean,” Tortorella told reporters midway after being asked a question.

Couturier practiced on a fifth line with fellow scratches Cam Atkinson and Denis Gurianov, indicating that he is likely to be a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game.

He was named captain of the Flyers back on Feb. 14 in a big season for the forward after missing all of 2022-23 and most of 2021-22 with injuries. Couturier has 11 goals and 36 points in 64 games with Philadelphia this season, putting him on pace for over 40 points for the first time since the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season.

Drafted eighth overall in 2011, the 6-foot-4 forward has played his entire career with the Flyers, registering 191 goals and 496 points in 785 career games over 13 seasons. Couturier also won gold at the 2015 World Hockey Championship and silver in 2017 and 2019, and won the Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward in the league back in 2019-20.

The Flyers currently hold the third spot in the Metropolitan Division with 78 points – three clear of the Washington Capitals. The Flyers are 5-4-1 over the past 10 games as they look to keep in the playoff hunt in what was supposed to be a retooling year for new GM Daniel Briere.

After playing Carolina on Thursday, the Flyers will return home for a pair of games at home against Boston on Saturday and Florida on Sunday.